The Progressive Federal Party (PFP) was a South Africanpolitical party formed in 1977. It advocated power-sharing in South Africa through a federalconstitution, in place of apartheid. Its leader was Colin Eglin, who was later succeeded by Zach De Beer, but its best known parliamentarian was Helen Suzman, who was for many years the only member of the whites-only parliament to speak out against the apartheid regime's abuses.
It drew support mainly from liberal English-speaking white South Africans, as owing to South Africa's apartheid laws, its membership was limited to the country's whites. The PFP was derided by right-wing whites, who claimed its initials stood for 'Packing for Perth', on account of the many white liberal supporters of the 'Progs', who were emigrating to Australia.
It was ousted as the official opposition by the far-right Conservative Party in the whites-only parliamentary elections held on May 6, 1987.
This electoral blow led many of the PFP's leaders to question the value of participating in the whites-only parliament, and some of its MPs left to form the New Democratic Movement (NDM)
In 1989, the PFP and NDM merged with another small white reformist party, the Independent Party (IP), to form the Democratic Party (DP).
The ProgressiveFederalParty (PFP) was a South African political party formed in 1977.
The PFP was derided by right-wing whites, who claimed its initials stood for 'Packing for Perth', on account of the many white liberal supporters of the 'Progs', who were emigrating to Australia.
It was ousted as the official opposition by the far-right Conservative Party in the whites-only parliamentary elections held on May 6, 1987.
The party adopted the "Progressive Conservative" party name in 1942 when Manitoba Premier John Bracken, a long-time leader of that province's ProgressiveParty, agreed to become leader of the Conservatives on condition that the party add Progressive to its name.
Even though the Quebec Conservative Party dominated politics in that province for the first thirty years of Confederation at both the federal and provincial levels, in the 20th century the party was never able to be a force in provincial politics, and ultimately dissolved into the Union Nationale in 1935.
The Progressive Canadian party aims to be perceived as the successor party to the Progressive Conservatives.
Feeds |
Contact